The Walking Dead – From Comic Book To AMC, Zombie Survival Horror.

There's been a whole lot of backlash these last few years about the surge in popularity of zombies in films, games and TV. People rolling their eyes and saying “Zombies? Uggh, I'm so OVER zombies.” My response to those folks is “Fine. Piss off then. I'll continue to enjoy them.” The zombie apocalypse as a genre immediately gets people who are into it talking, planning, trading theories on “what would you do if...?”I've got an awful lot to write about zombies, what with the pre-alpha of Project Zomboid (which I pre-ordered) going live, and Doublebear's Dead State Zombie RPG trudging toward release, plus books and films I love in the genre. However, there's an obvious place for me to start when writing about zombies. The Walking Dead.

Seeing this image, and a few others lifted directly from panels of the comic gave me hope.

When I first heard about the AMC series The Walking Dead, how it would be a television show following survivors in the classic zombie scenario with a solid effects budget, I was immediately interested. Frank Darabont of The Shawshank Redemption directing? A story focusing on the people and how they cope with the stress of the end of the world? A cable network commitment to doing serious drama/horror with zombies instead of some schlocky parody? Oh, yes. Immediately researching the topic, I found that it was based on a long running comic series published by Image. This deserved further investigation.

I tracked down years worth of the comics, and sat down to read. I had a few long nights there, as I was immediately pulled in by the story, even if it wasn't groundbreaking or particularly unique. The Walking Dead comic started as a familiar story, well told. I caught up with years of the series in a few days, hooked as I was, and grew to care about characters as they developed, and gasp or grieve as favorites met a grisly fate. The brutality and the fact that in Robert Kirkman's world no character was safe added tension to the world, and a desire to keep reading because I knew any character could die at any time.

This comic became Images #1 selling title, even eclipsing sales of Spawn.

When the AMC series was set to premiere on October 31, 2010, I was excited, but convinced that there were a whole lot of changes they'd have to make for television, and I began to get nervous and prepare for disappointment. I was pleasantly surprised from the outset at the risks the series was willing to take, right from the first scene, showing a child zombie. Some of the casting decisions, new characters and subplots made me raise an eyebrow, but the first few episodes were good enough that I was willing to give it a chance. I'm glad I did. In adapting a book or comic to another medium like TV or films, changes have to be made. Pacing in a movie or episode is different from proper pacing in a novel or comic book.

There were some fairly serious departures and changes in The Walking Dead's first season, and I've been satisfied so far. Those of us who know and love the comics don't know exactly what's going to happen around any given corner. Characters who, according to the story we know, should already be dead and still up and kicking, and there's no telling if someone who survives a good long time in the comic might not die in the show. The suspense created by not knowing what is going to happen to any given character in the comic is important, and they've used changes to retain that onscreen. Zombie stories all too often descend into blatant allegory at the expense of their core story, and The Walking Dead hasn't done that.

The behind the scenes features on the effects and makeup for some of the zeds is fascinating to me. 

There are big questions posed by the zombie apocalypse scenario. What would you do if a loved one turns? How do you deal with losing everything? What could you sacrifice to survive? What do you have to become in order to keep those around you safe? What effect does growing up in a world where society has collapsed and a struggle to survive is normal have on a child raised in that world? These questions and others are addressed directly by Kirkman and Darabont, and though individual elements of The Walking Dead have been seen before in one form or another, something new and different comes out of how these elements fit together as a whole.

Looking for covers that won't spoil the series future seasons was tricky.
I'll be interested to see how AMC tackles the storyline with this guy, though.

When talking about “What would you do?” I frequently have a pretty strong set of opinions, and frequently find flaws in people's plans. How a group gets food when your canned goods run out, how to deal with other hostile survivors who are likely more dangerous than any zombie... These concerns are addressed in the comics, and I look forward to seeing how they play out on a TV screen. Here's to hoping that the hipsters and critics who are “so over zombies” don't allow the series to be cancelled before it has a chance to get into the meat (hrm, pun) of these topics.

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5 Things That Ruled About C2E2

 I've returned from a weekend spent involved in plenty of geeky pursuits, but the big one was my trip to C2E2 on Saturday. For those unfamiliar with the convention, the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo is a massive show featuring comic books, sci-fi and fantasy celebrities, webcomics and games.

1. The Costumes. Any Comic or Anime Convention is going to have their share of fans wandering around in costume, of varying quality and from any number of original sources. This year had the usual suspects of dozens of stormtroopers, attention-starved “hot girls” in skimpy outfits and of course, even Sailor Dude. There were Wolverines and Rorshachs, and a few people who should not wear tights or spandex in any color, but there were so many clever and creative costumes, feats of craftsmanship and technical ability, just the other attendees were worth watching.
   
   

   

   When I said "Sailor Dude", you wish I'd meant some guy in a sailor suit, right? Yeah, me too.

   
   
   
   
2. The Exhibit Hall. The hall itself is the centerpiece of any successful big show, and this year's attractions did not disappoint. Marvel and DC Comics of course, had huge, incredibly slick booths with lines to stand in to pick up swag, talk with creators and see previews of what's coming next. (I especially liked the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent recruiting line, where I think they were giving away a car.) There were tattoo artists, vendors selling everything from the popular to the obscure in pop/geek culture, and plenty of different people and companies contributing to the show.
   
   
3. The Gaming Rooms. There were gaming facilities in both the “plugged” and “unplugged” varieties, available to any gamer who wanted to take a break from the other show areas. Video Gamers could get a quick fix with Free To Play game consoles running solo play, multiplayer and tournament play on a wide variety of titles. I saw a LOT of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 play, previews of the new Thor game and the usual Call of Duty/Modern Warfare gaming. The Tabletop Game Room had Magic:The Gathering Tournaments, Dungeons and Dragons sessions available to players at levels of skill from “What's All This Then?” to “Been There, Done That, Killed the Dragon.”
   
   

   

   One of the highlights of the show, if you get a chance to see her give a Q&A, don't miss it.

   
   
   
   
4. The Panels. There were panels and seminars given on comic creation, costuming, writing, Science Fiction Fandom and even Why Zombies Are Hilarious. My personal favorites were the celebrity Q&A panels in the IGN Theater. In my hours camped at my pretty decent seat for those panels, I watched Laurie Holden (Andrea) and Jon Bernthal (Shane) from AMC's The Walking Dead talk about character development, loss, and why Jon reflexively wants to bash in the skulls of people cosplaying as zombies. Later, Sam Trammell (Sam Merlotte), Brit Morgan (Debbie Pelt) and Kristen Bauer (Pam) from True Blood talked about their families' response to the show, the incredible fan reception and Sam always having to run around the cold woods in the nude. My favorite panel, though, was Tahmoh Penikett and Eliza Dushku, moderated by Chris Hardwick of Web Soup. Both of these actors have done a lot of work in sci-fi, really knew how to connect with the fans, were likeable, composed, and the whole Q & A session was hilarious, with a lot of talk about Dollhouse, Buffy and Battlestar Galactica. (I especially liked the running gag of Eliza discussing trying not to throw her “P-Word” around... she meant “producer”, and initially seemed ignorant of what everyone else present thought she meant.)
   
   

   

   Q: "What would you do in a real-life Zombie Apocalypse?" A: "Call up my buddy's wife, see what she's doing." THAT REALLY HAPPENED.

   
   
5. Hi-Chew. This Japanese candy had a booth and many people in unusual costumes passing out samples. I'm a fan of snack foods from Japan anyway, from Pocky to wasabi peas, but somehow I'd managed to miss this one. Wow. Imagine something between a Starburst and a piece of Bubbleicious gum, with more intense flavor than either. Great texture, I managed to try Mango, Grape and Strawberry samples, and they sold packs for a buck, profits headed to disaster relief in Japan. By the time I decided to actually purchase some, unfortunately I learned that He Who Hesitates is Lost, as they completely Sold Out.
   
   

   

   OMG Bliss. I'm getting fatter just thinking about these.

   
   

Another longish article, I will probably revisit my trip a few times this week, and for sure, come on back tomorrow to get the counterpoint to this one in “5 things that sucked about C2E2.” Overall, I really liked the show and had a great time, but... nothing and no one is perfect.

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Game of Thrones On HBO - Almost Here!

Like a lot of geeks, I am a huge fan of fantasy novels, but I recognize that a lot of them are actually pretty terrible. A lot of the pre-canned tropes are trotted out, the kid who has nothing but a secret destiny rising to power, the ridiculously overpowered Gandalf/Merlin clone old man who gets to Deus Ex Machina when the author writes himself into a corner, etc.

Yes, you. Stop embarassing yourself.

But even when they are bad, I enjoy the hell out of them, and on rare occasion that they are good, I get straight-up obsessed. In the “obsessed” category, we have George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. Political, dark, full of betrayals and sex, and with no droopy-bearded Merlin popping out from behind a rock to fix everything.

If you've read any of the books, this title is kind of hilarious.

So I was skeptical when I heard that the first book, A Game of Thrones, was optioned as a project for TV. I've seen what bad adaptations can do to a much loved and well-respected geek property (I'm looking at you, LXG.) However, as details emerged, a brief flicker of hope sparked into a tiny flame. The sex and death would be intact, and each book would not be a movie or miniseries, but a season of a new series for HBO.

Then I found out that the author was working very closely with the team making the series, and casting details and promo shots started making their way out... that little fire got bigger. Further emboldened by the recent successful adaptation of the Graphic Novels/Comic series The Walking Dead, I'm thinking: “They're actually doing it... the crazy bastards just might make it work.”

Now we've got a few great promotional trailers and the first episode is a little more than a month away and I am stoked. The flames of geek-obsession are raging, especially since being out of work gives me plenty of time to read about the show, watch behind the scenes videos and the like.

I know what I'll be doing on April 17^th. 

This is normally where a shot of Sean Bean as Ned Stark would go, but that casting was obvious. Peter Dinklage as Tyrion was inspired. 

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